Sound Mind Live has announced its sixth annual Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health, a free, all day street festival on Jefferson Street between Irving Ave and Wyckoff Ave in Bushwick, Brooklyn on Saturday, May 18th. Starting at 12pm, the festival will feature full sets from singer-songwriter Kevin Morby, pop band MisterWives, alt band Bailen, and pop trio SHAED. Claim your free tickets to Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health here.
In addition to the performances, the event will feature a dance party & DJ sets at House of Yes throughout the day in addition to “Sound Sessions” and other holistic mental health programming experiences including movement and yoga, mindfulness, and breathwork sessions. Food and drinks will be provided by iconic New York institution Smorgasburg.
DJ White Shadow, who produced Lady Gaga’s Born This Way and Artpop and worked on the film A Star is Born will perform at the official Sound Mind Live Music Festival for Mental Health benefit afterparty at Elsewhere directly following the event. Tickets to afterparty can be found here.
In addition to the free elements of the festival, attendees will have the opportunity to make a donation to enjoy an elevated VIP experience including a swag bag filled with special gifts. Donations of $150 or more will receive an invitation to the official afterparty at Elsewhere with a performance from DJ White Shadow.
The festival will also host a series of panels on mental health, including Mental Health in Communities of Color, Mental Health in the Music Industry, Mental Health in the LGBTQ+ Community and The Importance of the Lived Experience. Panelists will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Sound Mind Music Festival for Mental Health is helping to raise funding for Sound Mind Center, a pioneering music and wellness center dedicated to crafting transformative healing experiences through music and sound. By day, the center will host programming and workshops including sound meditations and breathwork, fostering deeper connection with oneself. In the evening, the space will transform into a vibrant hub with music showcases, concerts, and open mics encouraging community connection. Operating on a hybrid for-profit/non-profit model, Sound Mind Center ensures equitable access to all. Interested investors, donors, and partners can learn more here.
“Sound Mind Fest isn’t just an event – it’s a movement,” said Sound Mind Live executive director Chris Bullard of the festival. “We’re bringing together a coalition of artists, influential organizations, and people from all walks of life to celebrate our shared humanity and foster community support. It’s a rallying point where our mental and emotional challenges aren’t obstacles but rather the glue that binds us and the fuel propelling us to new heights together. Music, the universal language, takes the lead in driving this movement forward like it has so many other movements throughout history.”
The event is in partnership with over 10 music artists, 4 local venues, and over 20 mental health organizations including National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, TransLifeline and more. The event is made possible with support from AbbVie, National Endowment of the Arts, New York Council of the Arts, Society of Valued Minds (an initiative of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.), Alkermes, and G4D Productions.
